Patriots vs. Broncos: 6 Bold Predictions

3. Danny Amendola will be Patriots’ leading receiver

The Patriots will survive without Gronk having a big game thanks to some superhuman efforts out of undersized wideouts Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. While both will have big games, it will be Amendola who leads the Patriots in receiving yards in this game.

In three career games against the Broncos, Amendola has yet to lose but his stat sheet leaves something to be desired. He’s caught nine passes for just 93 yards and no touchdowns over the course of those three games.

6 Surprise Heroes for Patriots in AFC Championship Game

On Sunday afternoon, Amendola will put forth the most memorable game of his NFL career, catching 11 passes for 177 yards and two scores. He will benefit from the attention paid to Gronk and Edelman, as well as the solid running of Steven Jackson which will lead to play-action opportunities in the passing game.

Amendola will just barely outgain a certain Denver receiver…

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